What is APN Settings? What is the APN Type? A Guide on APN Profile

What is APN Settings?

APN settings or configurations (Access Point Names) are the settings required for a connection to the cellular data network. Unlike WiFi these settings are important to your cell phone so as to communicate with the provider’s servers. They are basically text fields with some vital information which allows us to use data and MMS services via the government regulated radio frequencies.

Most phones choose settings appropriate for the carrier you are signed up with. In others, you would need some information provided to you to input in the fields. The most important fields for the APN configuration are APN and APN type. APN’s  must match the value that the carrier requires for a specific connection. APN type tells that which type of connection can be established using the configurations; like “*” for all connections, “default” for internet data (but not MMS), and “mms” for sending MMS messages. If the apn settings are not done properly, one can end up facing critical issues like inability to send MMS messages and use mobile data.

List of All US Network Carrier APN Settings

Below is the list all US carrier mobile network APN Settings.

• Cricket APN Settings
• Simple Mobile APN Settings
• Straight talk APN Settings
• Verizon APN Settings
• Virgin Mobile APN Settings
• AIO Wireless APN Settings
• iWireless APN Settings
• Sprint APN Settings
• H2o APN Settings
• T Mobile APN Settings
• Metro PCS APN Settings
• AT&T APN Settings
• Net10 APN Settings
• GoSmart APN Settings
• Rogers APN Settings
• US Cellular APN Settings
• Cincinnati Bell APN Settings

APN Settings Fields :

• Name- This is a user chosen name and has zero effect on the connection.
• APN- Determines which access point the mobile must use to communicate with the carrier. It must be a valid value.
• Proxy- It is an optional field to specify the HTTP proxy for the web traffic over this connection.
• Port- The port number to link to on the proxy server in the Proxy field.
• Username/ Password- Usually blank, but in some cases, you might require one.
• Server- This is the WAP Gateway server, but is hardly used in the latest smartphones and devices.
• MMSC- The Multimedia Messaging Service Center to send and receive MMS.
• MMS Proxy/ MMS Port- It defines the HTTP Proxy to be used for communicating with the MMSC.
• MMS Protocol- The protocol which must be used by the phone.
• MCC/ MNC- It identifies the carrier you use by the Mobile Country Code and Mobile Network Code.
• Authentication Type- It is the method that supplies your name and password to the server for data connection.
• APN Type- The most important field specifying which types of connection this configuration can be used for.
• APN Protocol/ APN Roaming Protocol- For newer devices supporting IPv6, it allows us to choose between IPv4, IPv6 or both for the network.
• APN Enable/ Disable- When  one has multiple configurations to choose from, it shows the one currently enabled.
• Bearer- This is for the devices and carriers capable of switching between CDMA (EVDO) and LTE technologies.

What is the APN Type?

This part specifies that what are the data types for which this connection can be used for. This is of secondary importance just after the APN name itself. The best way is to follow the recommendations from your carrier what to include in this field for each APN setting as this might vary.

Common values for APN Types:

default

The APN configuration dealing with general internet data normally has “default” in this field. This is to say to your device that unless overridden elsewhere, all the data communication will be via this channel. When you have added “default”, it is not necessary to add additional values.

mms

The APN configuration which you want to use for Multimedia Messaging should have “mms” in this field. It is indicative for using this configuration for MMS communication. MMS communication requires some additional fields like MMSC and in rare ones the MMS Proxy/ MMS Port fields.

supl

This indicates that the current configuration could be used for Secure User Plane Location data, which determines your geographic location from the carrier telecommunication network.

Other APN Settings values

dun

For Dial-Up Networking method, which may be used by emulating your phone as a dial-up modem and is not used commonly. There is hardly a need to use this value as modern smartphones do not tether like this. It also has some speed constraints.

hipri

This indicates that the current AP configuration should be used on a HIPRI connection request by an application. This value does not affect a normal setup. When a connection is established, Android applications may specify an unknown connection type as “HIPRI” which affects the way an Android phone routes the data. Generically, HIPRI data will use the same connection as internet data without the trouble of specifying this value explicitly and it is highly unlikely that carriers are ever going to require such a thing.

APN settings are crucial settings which you need to get right to send MMS and access data. Hope the above list help you find the correct and working apn settings for your carrier. Please share and let us know if you need any more apn settings.